Composition of matter.



WILLIAM JAMES CORDNER, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO LOUIS D. BRANDEIS, TRUSTEE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

COMPOSITION OF MATTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 655,169, dated July 31, 1900. Application filed February 6, 1900. Serial No. 4,194. (No specimens.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.- I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM JAMES Conn- NER, a'subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at London, England, have invented a certain new and Improved Composition of Matter, (for which I have made application for Letters Patent in Great Britain under No. 20,934, dated October 19, 1899,) of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is the synthetic production of india-rubber by the assimilation of kindred gums and fibers, which under certain conditions appear to have a natural affinity for each other and yield in the afterproduction an elastic material possessing the qualities of natural rubber.

In carrying out my invention I take chinagrass or rhea fiber, which I have previously desiccated to remove any oil or volatile matter therefrom, and the latex of the Tabernacmontana crassa in or about the proportions hereinafter mentioned. I thoroughly incorporate these materials by feeding them in between a pair of hot rolls at a temperature of about 120 Fahrenheit and work the materials until they are thoroughly incorporated.

I then place the mixed materials in an oven, the temperature of which is about 300 Fahrenheit. The oven heat is gradually raised to a temperature between 350 Fahrenheit and 400 Fahrenheit. The whole time of the working operation will be about four hours, and I find that the required combination will take place if during the last two hours of the process a temperature of about 360 Fahrenheit is maintained. The mass thus formed is then allowed to cool, when on examination it will be found that although the fibrous structure of the rhea or other similar fiber remains its textile strength has completely broken down. The material is then worked at a temperature of about 120 Fahrenheit through mixing-rolls until its fibrous structure has disappeared and the whole is reduced to auniform mass. During this latter treatment oxygen-giving substances are introduced, such as borate of manganese, permanganate of potassium, or a curing agent, such as sulfur, to the extent of five to eight per cent, and, if desired, a toughening material, such as balata, to the extent of about ten per cent, may be added to give strength to the resultant product.

forty-eight hours for thepurpose of The mass is then allowed to rest for about what might be termed synthetic digestion or assimilation. It is then placed in a suitable vessel inside a steam-chest and subjected to steam-heat at a pressure of forty to forty-five pounds to the square inch, the pressure being gradually raised from nil until the working pressure is reached, the time allowed for raising being about one hour. This pressure is kept up for one to two hours and then allowed to fall back to zero, when the material should be removed and allowed to cool. This completes the synthesis, and the resultant product possesses all the qualities of indiarubber. From this stage it can be worked the same as cleaned rubber and loaded up in accordance with the purpose for which it is intended.

I have found from experience the following proportions to give excellent results for various grades of material:

Formulae; Product.

. A flexible material simi- Latex 80 Cent" lar to that known in ClassI... Rhea. fiber.. 15 pm cent. the trade as a dough, sulfur 5 per cent This is a cheap grade.

Latex 72 per cent m t rial to Rhea 10 per cent S1m}a1 e Class 11.. Emma 10 per cent" OllgsiseI, but of a hi her SuIfuI 8 per cent" g H. A flexible material like Latex cent Class I for making up Class III. Rhea 20 per cent. into hard goods like Sulfur i. 5 per cent. vu1canite Latex 80 per cent Rhea 15 per cent. lermanga- A material similar in Class IV. nateofpoevery respect to tassium or Class I. borate of manganese 5 per cent.

WILLIAM JAMES OORDNER.

Witnesses:

REGINALD WILLIAM J Ann's, Brennan A. I-IOFFMANN. 

